WILLIAMSUN RISES
Kane replaces Warner as captain on the eve of Hyderabad’s match against Rajasthan
In a desperate attempt to arrest its slide, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has thrust Kane Williamson into the leadership role by removing David Warner as it prepares to take on Rajasthan Royals (RR), which is also struggling, in the IPL here on Sunday.
Hyderabad removed Australian batsman Warner from captaincy after the side lost five of its first six matches under him this season. Rajasthan is not faring any better as it has managed to win only two league matches out of the six it has played.
No wonder, Royals is placed seventh, just above Sunrisers. SRH comes into the match after losing its last two games, including the Super Over defeat against Delhi Capitals (DC). Hyderabad relies heavily on its top-order of Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey and Williamson, but it is yet to fire in unison.
Its middle-order is without a solid batsman. There is a possibility that Warner could be dropped from the playing eleven to make way for all-rounder Jason Holder. In his six innings, Warner has scores of 3, 54, 36, 37, 6 and 57.
Bairstow has done a decent job while Williamson has played in just three matches with 66 not out as his highest. The Kiwi batsman and Pandey, who has two half-centuries in four games, hold the key for Hyderabad if its openers fail to give a good start.
In the bowling department, a lot depends on leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who has taken nine wickets from six matches. And, Rashid would hope to get support from his bowling colleagues. The Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan lacks consistency.
It notched up its first win in its second game and lost its next two matches before winning again – against a struggling Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). In its last match against Mumbai Indians (MI), the top-order put on 171 for four but its bowling let it down.
RR’s batting depends heavily on Samson, but the captain has not fired since the 119 against Punjab Kings (PBKS). The knock of 42 against MI was his best after that. Opener Jos Buttler is yet to score a half-century in six matches and that is a concern.
In the bowling attack, million-dollar recruit Chris Morris has been doing a great job with 11 wickets from six matches but cannot single-handedly carry the team on his shoulders. Leg-spinner Rahul Tewatia has not delivered as per expectations, taking just one wicket. Jaydev Unadkat has four wickets to show in as many games, while Bangladesh import Mustafizur Rahman has picked up five from six matches.
Sunrisers Hyderabad would like to announce that Kane Williamson will be taking over the captaincy for Sunday’s match and for the remainder of IPL 2021 Sunrisers Hyderabad statement